While the ASR service was desperately trying to secure more boats from the Admiralty in 1940 and 1941, the South African authorities went to the USA and obtained some craft that had been designed by Mr Dare Long, a naval architect from the University of Michigan. Mr Long had used the performance of the SAAF 64ft BPB HSL, MALMOK, to provide a better craft for South African needs. The resulting design was the 63ft Air Rescue Boat (ARB) which was put into production by the Miami Shipbuilding Corporation (previously known as the Fogal Boatyard Inc.) and from where it gained its type nickname of Miami series. The first craft to arrive in South Africa were Series I craft, (see later), however subsequent orders were fulfilled with Series II craft. The first craft ordered by the RAF from early 1941 (the original order was for 31 craft) started arriving in the Mediterranean area by July 1942.
The 63ft Miami Series II craft were constructed of plywood, they had a double planked hull, a "V" bottom and a square stern. The craft were very popular with their crews, as they were spacious and well suited to rough seas and still capable of doing 33 knots. Compared with the boats in the UK they were lightly armed, with single 0.303 machine guns or two twin Brownings of the same calibre on each wing of the bridge. They were however not as well finished or as well furnished as the British built HSLs, but they were extremely tough and seaworthy.
The Series II craft were powered by twin Hall Scott V-12 Defender engines, which were handed and mounted aft. Due to the mounting configuration of the engines, the propellers were driven through V drives and gearboxes. Hydraulic steering was fitted to the craft. Forward of the engine compartment was an aft well deck which gave access at its forward end, via a set of steps, into the well equipped sick bay which had a capacity for six stretchers (or litters). The stretcher berths had lockers beneath them, under which on both the port and starboard sides were the fuel tanks. The cabin roof of the sick bay had a sliding hatch at its aft end to allow easier access for stretcher cases. Forward of the sick bay, and accessed by a central door way and further steps leading down , was a lobby and passage way. To port was the Officers wardroom complete with two bunks and a writing desk, to starboard in the aft part of the compartment was the officer's WC and forward was the galley. The latter was fitted out with a Roper Protane type stove with four burners and an oven and a Vitalaire Icebox type refrigerator. Fresh water was supplied to a sink. To the forward section of the lobby was a small radio room.
From the passage way on the starboard side, an access ladder upwards led to the wheel house compartment which was fitted out with steering and engine controls centrally, with lockers to both port and starboard. Again on the forward starboard side, steps led down into the crew's quarters. First was the NCO's mess after which further forward was the crew's bunk space which had a capacity for eight men. In the very forward section of the crew's quarters was the crew's WC, forward of which was the forepeak.
Most of the Series II Miami craft were disposed of abroad. HSL 2533 was with others disposed of to the Indian Navy, however a great number were laid up in a "grave yard" at Port Fouad in Egypt in 1945/1946, to await disposal. This area was the gathering point for the majority of the ASR launches which served in the Mediterranean and the Near East at the end of the war. Some craft were still there awaiting disposal in 1947. One craft, the HSL 2521 was destined for local disposal at Colombo, whilst a further unit HSL 2524 was sold off in West Africa. HSL 2532 was transferred to the Nigerian Government and those that had been transferred to the Indian Navy were subsequently auctioned off in the area in July 1947.
HSL 2523 was the only recorded war loss due to enemy action, the craft being lost at sea on the 3rd September 1943 whilst operating with 201 ASRU out of Bathurst.
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